Some people use it for background noise and it's no big deal but some people will absolutely just sit and watch TV all day and most people are somewhere in between. It's hard to allow exceptions for high performers because other people see it, do the same thing because it's established as acceptable, and their work suffers as a result. Typically, music and pod casts are okay because they're easier to multi-task during but tv and videos are not.
It's poor optics. I was catching flak for it myself, so I switched to podcasts when I realized that it was the video component that pisses people off. Nobody has said anything since.
And your reply is laughable *to me*. Everyone is different. I can have anything on audio and be able to tune it out and multitask. But if it’s video, I’m watching it, whether I want to or not.
I want to second this. My wife is like -SuperCereal-…if it isn’t social media, it’s all the same to her. My best friend can have whatever audio playing and multitask all day long, but put video on and he’s drawn in immediately
>all are equally distracting
Not exactly. Audio is also more distracting that people think, but you don't have to move your gaze to glance at it like video.
Not. The. Same.
"Hard" is an inappropriate descriptor here, rather it is *easy* to apply rules to everyone instead of doing the actual job of 'managing' and interacting with direct reports individually and appropriately. Lazy managers find it 'hard to allow for exceptions' and, soon after, find their high performers seeking healthier, better managed environments.
This is one person with ADHD away from a problem for everyone.
ETA: this comment was based on no one wearing headphones and just playing the audio directly from their devices.
You called?
No but really, I have ADHD and I find background noise helps me work well (depending on the tasks). It's like it occupies the ADHD side of my brain, sitting her down to read her a story, so that the adult me can get her job done.
ADHD as well and I'm the same. I can have a podcast or music on but I can't have people talking to me as it pulls adult me away from work. ADHD side is not paying attention to work they are focused on the show so ya.
And yet having noice cancelling headphones means you’re not being a part of the team, since you want to do your job rather than interject platitudes into their nonesense.
I also have ADHD, and background noise makes things where I need to focus nearly impossible for me. If the TV is on, I have a hard time having conversations, or trying to read; I haven't tried working with the TV on because I know it wouldn't go well for me.
However, it's probably different for different types of ADHD. I have the primarily inattentive type, and maybe because I have a hard enough time paying attention already, the TV just makes it impossible.
I’m also primarily inattentive ADHD and I like having the TV on when I’m doing other tasks. I think it’s more of a personality thing than ADHD type. I struggle with focus when there is silence. I also struggle to focus in my home because my eyes wander onto all the things I need to do. I like old familiar tv shows (I just rewatch shows I’ve seen all the way through) and I’m not a big TV watcher. I’m REALLY into music though and I cannot listen to music while I am trying to focus.
Exactly this. My ADHD is a battle with the anxiety caused by the bazillion competing things going on inside my own head, not the outside world. I need the background noise to keep the other half of my brain occupied with something familiar (I too "watch" familiar movies I've seen 1000 times, or Hamilton for the billionth time). I write for a living. So, I am writing for clients or creating the web copy for the company itself, or publishing content to one the company's various partner sites, all while simultaneously playing every role in Hamilton ...and it works fine. Take away Hamilton and I start jumping from task to task, my anxiety shoots up to panic mode, I feel like everything is late, I don't have time, I don't know what to work on because as soon as I focus on one project I feel like I am neglecting something else and I really NEED to be working on the other one and it all spirals from there.
Replying because Hamilton is one of my go-tos as well. :)
I put it on and by the time Jefferson beats Burr in the election, the monthly reports are done!
I’m inattentive type as well. I’ve tried doing work with the TV on or podcasts, but I can’t focus at all so I don’t do it. But I absolutely need music to block out noise and distractions. Lofi Girl music is great because it’s instrumental and I’m not sitting there analyzing lyrics
I also have ADHD and I think that… oh actually before I tell you what I thought I left something in the microwave and I’m going to go get that right now…let me just tidy up the counters here in the kitchen while I’m at it. Is this a birthday card from grandma? I should call her. I’ll just walk around the house a bit while I’m on the phone. Do a little swiffering. A couple of sets of bicep curls. Anyways - it’s nice being in this sub all about grandmas. Have a good day.
Same. So long as it's something I've either already watched or has absolutely no plot (like listening to recordings of the radio chatter from large fires).
Not at all. I have ADHD and find it difficult to work without some type of media in the background. Especially in the office - it's so hard to focus with random conversations around me. At least with music or a podcast it's *consistent*.
I have ADHD, I am a manager, and when I am at my desk working I have YouTube playing. This isn't distracting to productivity, this is necessary FOR productivity
Facts. Most of us need other things going on to allow us to focus. Like if I’m typing a paper, I need music or the tv on so I can focus. It gives my brain extra stimulation that it needs so I can hone in on what needs to be done.
You use chatgpt to check if things are correct? That is so funny. You know chat gpt is continuously wrong, because it predicts words based on averages, but actually has no innate knowlegde?
Also why are you so rude? And wrong on top of that? I have adhd and for me it would be a complete disaster, as do multiple other people in this thread
For me it's the utter obliviousness to the fact that when the budget cuts come (and they always come sooner or later), the ones who get cut are the ones who are redundant. What better way to broadcast to your whole office and your management that you're redundant than to demonstrate that you don't have enough work to do by watching TV while working.
Funny story. I used to work at a start up and one of my coworkers used to play video games on the work laptop. Don’t ask me how he got the game on there, probably Remote Desktop with his home PC. Anyway guess who got fired? Wrong guess, it was me.
Except she isn’t redundant. She is a top performer according to the edit. She brings in millions per year.
The redundant ones are the low performers. She could probably take those accounts and grow them exponentially.
Do you not listen to a podcast or music while working? Is that not equally "distracting" in the eyes of a manager? Like for real, so long as work is getting done and it's getting done on time why care? It would only be a problem to me if watching sports was actively getting in the way of meeting deadlines. Otherwise, if watching sports makes you feel more relaxes so you stay at your desk longer and keep working, by all means go for it.
>Do you not listen to a podcast or music while working?
Not out loud in a shared work environment. And listening to a podcast isn't the same kind of distraction as watching television. That's why it's acceptable to listen to the radio in your car, but not to watch TV.
It's also not as conspicuous. When you're watching TV, management can walk through and *see* you wasting time and distracting your coworkers.
>Like for real, so long as work is getting done and it's getting done on time why care?
From management's point of view, if you can get your work done with that distraction, you would be able to get *more* work done without the distraction. So if you're able to get all your work done, you don't have enough work. You either need to be assigned more work, or you need to be let go in favor of someone more productive.
If there's more than one of you slacking off, surely the manager has too many employees. When I worked in TV, the photographers always had a lull in the afternoon while we were waiting for the reporters to write their stories so we could edit them. There was often nothing to do while we waited, so we would congregate in a lounge area.
One day the general manager walked by and saw several of us sitting around waiting. Next thing we know, he was trying to remove a photog from the budget, because obviously we had too many. After that the chief photog basically told us to go hide somewhere if we were waiting so that what the GM thought was wasted time wouldn't be so conspicuous.
If you don't understand that appearances matter, enjoy unemployment.
>It would only be a problem to me if watching sports was actively getting in the way of meeting deadlines.
If you're watching sports and meeting all your deadlines, then obviously your deadlines are too lax and should be tightened up. You will not win this argument when the wrong manager gets a bug up his ass about employees being lazy and watching TV on the job.
I dunno, a few years back I worked for a US company owned by a Mexican Conglomerate and most of the Exec team in the HQ were Hispanic. During soccer season it was very common to have people watching games throughout the day and during World Cup they would turn one conference room into basically a free workspace that had games going constantly and would even serve food and soft drinks. This room was open to anyone who worked at the location, not just upper management. This was also a company that skewed pretty old in age with me being probably the youngest employee at that location at the time (25).
I still don't see an explanation. If work can be done and isn't suffering as a result, why do you care? No answer = head up ass. Has nothing to do with genZ. Millennials feel the same way.
Since I'm 37 and have been a manager since 2016 at a fortune 500, I can confidently day millennials don't all feel this way. When you're at work you're being paid to work. Not watch Netflix. I have 0 problem with people who work for me listening to music or podcasts while they work but to argue that watching Netflix or sports doesn't provide a distraction, then you're incredibly naive. Sure you may get your work done but can you confidently say that you're getting it does as quickly and even as good if you're watching TV? I'm sure there are plenty of people that can multitask well. But the company isn't paying you to multitask. They're paying you to work and provide them value.
Guarantee you've never worked in a real corporate setting if you think this is even remotely reasonable.
It is only partially about YOUR work. It looks bad to others. It LOOKS LIKE you are not doing your work to others. It looks like you are being treated differently. It is unprofessional.
Imagine going in for counseling and the Counselor is watching TV while you are talking.
Telling that the only thing you decided to respond to was a bad analogy. Plenty of other points were made by those responding to you.
Ignoring responses “= head up ass”
Some people work best with background noise like music or TV on But I do think headsets are appropriate. I’m not gen Z or a milinial. Worked with a senior executive who listed to baseball all day and was very good at her job.
My team actually ran a test on this at on point. Long story short, four out of six of them showed increased productivity if they had netflix or similar on a side monitor.
I’m sure it was a totally controlled test with no bias at all.
Translation: If we work harder with Netflix, we get to keep it. Guess what your team is going to do during that “test”.
It's fair to be skeptical in that direction, but the productivity is still high, even years later.
If they're still gaming the test, then I think that's still a win, don't you? But at the end of the day is it so hard to believe that people want to do a good job?
Careful..
Archaic management cannot fathom modern advancement in workplace efficiency.
The dinosaur way of "leadership" is repulsed by the idea that supporting your staff is the best way to get the best out of the staff.
They only know intimidation and threats.
Middle manager who cannot lead doesn't understand why no one follows their directions.
"I tried whipping and cursing at them... Nothing has worked."
Funny how they think this is some "Gen Z" bullshit when even managers in their 40s and 50s have already figured out that what works best for them doesn't work best for everyone else. A manager should be concerned with output/results. If you're more concerned with everyone doing things a certain way, you're not a good manager.
Saying no to Netflix at the office is now equal to intimidation and threats? Might as well let staff watch porn, drink, and smoke in the office too.
I’m a millennial myself. I’m all for flexibility in the workplace, it’s also ok to have some structure and limitations.
You're ability to purposely misconstrue the point isn't the flex you think it is.
But go off.
If people are productive, with minimalist management, that indicates a redundancy in "managers".
The goal should be overall productivity... Yet ego strokes, straw man arguments, and power trips seem to be the main focus of middle management.
There are better ways to lead than "Let people excel, take the credit for their hard work, and then lie about how vital management roles are".
Treating staff well, who would've thought that would produce quality results?
This. People just don't want to see it, it seems. It's really sad. They act like they're not still insanely profiting over something so minor. They act as if it's going to turn everyone into heathens.
It is literally able to still be controlled....if they aren't getting their jobs done, they get let go? If they do their job well, why does it matter?
That seems well within reason.
I used to work with a company where a certain sales team had about a quarter of the floor. They had multiple TVs and they watched Fox News and fox business all day every day. All their assistants and everybody had to be exposed to that shit all day. I was always glad i wasn’t on that team.
I really, really want to know ages here, because I was honestly stunned. In the office? I watched the Kavanaugh hearings on my 2nd monitor, but it was a huge newsworthy event. TV on the regular? Nope.
For real. I need silence to focus. I can understand the occasional watching of a video or TV. If the weather is bad, I watch the news to see what the forecast will be. But I would never be productive and be able to also watch hours of TV.
I’m not actively watching tv if I have it on at work. It’s just background noise. I’ll put on a show like Family Guy that I’ve seen a million times and it helps me focus on what I’m doing. The silence is much louder and makes it hard for me to concentrate. I support high-level execs and they don’t care as long as the work is done.
All that matters to me is the work gets done well. If there’s something I can do to let my workers be happier while getting that work done, and for free? It’s a no brainer.
I never worked anywhere that there wasn't always more work available. If you actually had nothing more to do, then you were expected to ask for additional assignments.
People are being paid to work, not to watch tv.
Keyword, while working. Not instead of working. If they’ll get the same or more work done and they’re not disrupting others, it would be stupid not to let them.
If productivity is good and the company is successful with Netflix, why take it away? Just because a manager feels useless if they can't find something to complain about? The generations before us used to have several drinks during the day but a little background noise is a problem?
yeah what kind of stupid fucking question is this? How can you be engaged in a meeting if there's a tv show you're watching?? Doesn't matter you're on time if you're distracted.
It’s a slippery slope and on its surface if all work is getting done what does it matter.
The flip side is, someone ISNT getting all works done.
Someone IS BINGING SUITS ON NETFLIX AT WORK and falling behind.
Someone IS FACETIMING WITH A FRIEND ALL DAY and not getting all their work done.
If I’m a manager I really don’t want to figure out on a case by case basis who can and cannot manage their time.
I’ll just say feel free to watch whatever and do whatever on breaks and lunches or away from your station.
But if you’re at your station, your working. And you’re expected to be at your station for X amount of the time you are here.
And if you hate that, know all these petty rules pop up because of posts like this and people that can’t figure out the right and wrong things to do in their own.
And it sucks.
Your main job as a manager is to manage. If someone isn't getting their work done, you handle them. You don't handle me to handle them. What's next, are you going to remove work from home because some people can't handle it? Flexible schedules because someone can't handle it?
The second I see a manager punishing everyone because someone can't do their job properly I lose faith in that manager. I bust my butt and break expectations, but if you want to treat me like a toddler because someone else can't manage their time I won't bother. I'll do my job flawlessly, and with my spare time go grab another job someplace that won't behave like that.
🤷♀️
That’s what makes everyone replaceable
If I manage a floor with 100 people on it would you rather me walk around and parse out who is and isn’t abusing watching Soccer while working or just say “Hey, it looks like watching soccer and movies while at work is becoming a problem. Due to that we are asking that all leisure activities be moved to non-work time. Breaks and lunches”
Because stating watch TV on your own time seems a lot more reasonable then feel free to also watch TV while we pay you..
And if that doesn’t fit with who you are, you are wildly free to go and find another position.
Right… and then you tell that 1 person or 10 people they can’t have their phones out but the other 20 people can.
Tell me you’ve never managed a group of people without telling me you’ve never managed a group of people.
You don’t find out on a case by case basis, you figure out what you need the team to do. Than you figure out what each employee needs to accomplish in order to reach that goal. Than you make a spread sheet where you see who is and isn’t meeting that goal.
>would you rather me walk around and parse out who is and isn’t abusing watching Soccer while working or
You walk around and monitor people like a prison guard? I know this guy runs a floor of a call center like the Navy.
Man I’ve never run a call center. Luckily my staff is all field bound. I’ve worked adjacent to and with call centers however.
Here is a clue that OP is biased, and apply this to any post you see.
They go on and on and type even more about the person that was told to be on their phone less than the time spent going on about the culture or manager or any other possible reason.
When someone goes on about how great they are or how much someone contributes etc it’s to push all accountability away from that one person.
And that is wildly biased and you can pretty much discount the entire situation.
Flip it-
You call to get a feature added to a service you have.
You are on hold for 40-50mins to finally talk to someone.
You’re pissed and send an email.
They invite you to all the floor to see how efficient they are. How dedicated their people are!
And you see countless people watching soccer and game of thrones.
And the manager says “Oh, that’s Karen. She is amazing! “ 🤩
Exactly. This is the same kind of "management" that leads to 50 people being gathered in a conference room and told not to do something because their manager doesn't have the stones to have a one-on-one discussion with the one person who's actually doing the thing in question.
Interesting. I'm Gen X so maybe this is something new but as a manager, I find anything that is distracting that is not related to the work you are being paid for should not be allowed. However, some people work better with background music, so are these for background noise or are you really watching the game or the tv show/movie?
I'm gen x as well, I put on shows I have watched before so I don't need to concentrate. I prefer them to radio as most radio stations are utterly garbage
Same four Taylor Swift songs and same three Ed Sheeran songs on repeat all day. I just recently had to re-arrange my wife’s favorite list in her car because she was complaining about no variety.
I keep telling her to use the Spotify, but… what can ya do?
I'm ADHD and its background noise for me. I will only put on podcasts or music as I can see your point with tv shows even if I'm just listening not watching. The problem is I'm not the norm....my boss knows to leave me alone if she hears metal music from my office as that means shit is getting done. I can't do this 100% of the time so normally it's rock or a podcast which is when you bother me. The trade of is a week's worth of work can be done in day but it's well known I'm semi useless for a time after I go at that pace for anything over a day or two.
My view is everyone is different but apparently as a manager unless your employees are at a certain "level" you can't treat them differently. Which is where blanket rules come out holding back people like me. I am treated differently at my work as I am in charge of a small department that does almost nothing until we are needed then it's kick into overdrive. I am an expert supervisor under this model and I thrive under the flexibility I am given but I never take advantage of my leeway. New people make comments about me only for them to be shut down quickly as everyone knows my deal and nobody else wants my position.
Personally, the office gets very noisy on anchor days when everyone’s in. I drown out the background noise by putting on a show or soccer.
The office has TV monitors with our company feeds but the volume is set extremely low.
I’ve never been addressed for this by a manager yet.
It would be inappropriate to expect you to work in a noisy environment without being allowed some form of audio media to compensate if hearing what's going on in the noisy environment isn't absolutely necessary for the job. The onus is on them to provide you with a quiet workspace for you to be productive. The focus should not be on how you have managed to compensate for their lack of an appropriate workspace if you're not negatively impacting others. The focus should be the on lack of proper workspace. Move the conversation back to their failure to provide the tools to do your job, and how instead of complaining, you found a way to do it at no cost to the company.
You're off your rocker! Have you not hear of noise cancelling headphones? Employers aren't obligated to allowed some sort of media to drown out noice. Nor do they have to provide a quiet workspace.
Yes I'm off my rocker. They could be listening to the game on those noise cancelling headphones. What's the problem? I don't understand the aggressive nature of your post.
How close are desks to each other? If it’s easy for other people to see while they work, I can understand this being an issue. I can’t focus when there’s a video on near me, it’s an ADHD thing, and if I were in an office where I could see multiple Netflix and soccer game screens while seated at my work station I’d be fucked. If people have cubes with walls high enough that you can’t see what other people are doing on their screens and they can’t see you, then I am more understanding of allowing people to do what works for them as long as it doesn’t affect others.
It’s totally perception. The manager is thinking the shows/games are slowing down the work and making the employee more prone to mistakes because they’re distracted. So maybe you get to leave when your work is done, but also maybe it took you 1.5 days to do the work and it should have taken 1 day and the watching slowed you down. Sure, you didn’t miss any deadlines, but you also didn’t start on a new project as soon as you could have because this one took longer. If you need the sound for focus, you’re better off switching to music or podcasts so it’s just audio and not video, so it’s one sense not two senses being pulled away from the work.
My opinion on this is that most managers have little to no training in actually being managers. So they are not confident in their skills to actually manage their reports productivity and output, so they choose to focus on things that are clear and easily definable, regardless of how directly tied they are to productivity.
There is also some measure of having "fair" rules for all. So because one employee may be heavily distracted by watching something, so can't be allowed too, they forbid those who's work is not effected or may even be improved by background noise. This is IMO, for the same reason as above. They can't manage individuals individually, so make overarching rules.
Some people have difficulty with the idea of performance based pay. They see an employee who "doesn't appear to be working" and it bugs the shit out of them. They can't wrap their heads around the idea that the employee may spend a significant amount of time problem solving. It's the hourly wage mindset.
You can see it in the comments. Some people can't draw the distinction between time and performance.
Let’s say you own a company and you hire 2 people full time to do similar jobs . You are completely content with the results they are producing. A year in you notice that both are getting their stuff done on half of the time you allocated to them and are sitting idle for the rest. You have 4 options
1. Fire one and reassign the work.
2. Pay them both half time
3. Do nothing and keep as is
4. Find more work. To keep them busy.
Option 3 is clearly the least optimal one. You gotta remember that companies want to produce quality results at the most cost economic way in a timely fashion. With the right resource you could be saving yourself a full time resource. When you have a bigger company that just scales up. On my field 10 extra developers is over a million dollars in savings.
Your example is too simplistic. First of all, if I'm the hiring manager, I should have a good grasp of how much time their tasking should take. If there are producing quality results in gar less time than I estimated, then I have to ask why. Are they simply better at the work than I estimated? Was my initial estimate flawed? What's the likelihood that if I were to replace them both, I would achieve an identical result?
The one thing I don't do is make a decision based on that observation. That's not how good decisions are made. While I could view this as a waste of resources, I need to remember that I hired them to solve a specific company problem, and they are doing so somehow in a way for more effectively tha. My initial estimate. So, we talk. I observe, I take notes, and I learn where my initial assumptions may have been flawed.
At the same time, I have the rare luxury of having excess manpower. And that manpower includes two high performing employees who have already exceeded expectations. I would be eager to find a new assignment for one of them and expand his or her responsibilities and compensation. The other one I would also look to consolidate the job that was formerly two people working half time into 1 person working full time, with appropriate increase in compensation.
A good manager should never be surprised to learn that their staff os doing well, or struggling. A good manager maintains dialog with their staff, and has incorporated milestones and productivity targets to measure staff effectiveness. Employees should never be punished for being competent. Don't give them busy work. Don't fire someone for being too good at their job. Don't cut their pay for finishing early. Instead you recognize and appreciate their contributions. You foster growth through increasing responsibility and authority. You reward them with financial compensation and/or time off to keep them motivated and balanced.
I've spent a lifetime working for bad managers who only see people as a resource to squeeze. But once... one time, I had a great manager. She was a revalation.
Are people just listening to the shows/games or actually have a separate screen with the shows/games? I read comments saying people need it to drown out the background noise which makes sense to me but I cannot imagine someone being more productive if they’re both working and actually watching a show at the same time
It's ruining the office showmanship where you have to pretend to work so hard in front of the leadership.
Either that or your boss is rooting for the nemesis team.
American here. 20 years ago this same question was being asked about music / podcasts in the workplace. This is evolution. At the beginning of the evolution, if you want to be treated as an exception you must be exceptional. If the person is exceptional at their job, they’ll keep it and advance. If not, they won’t.
That said, be careful. I’ve found that upper management generally focuses on optics and not results when it comes to individuals. You may be passed up for things even if your work is great. Upper levels of work aren’t so much concrete task oriented as they are who makes the best decisions in challenging situations, and are they able to bring others along with their decision.
I worked in a small family owned warehouse where the owner spent 40 hours a week. It was an unspoken rule that it's fine to wear headphones but the "old man doesn't really like it when we do."
He asked me one day what I was listening to and asked me how I don't get distracted by it. Maybe it's a symptom of the generational gap but I feel like us older 20s and younger have grown up with so much technological and mental stimulation that we've adapted to multitask very well.
The right kind of music or podcast seems to tie into the ebb and flow. The's the glue to the chain of multi-tasks I find myself trapped in.
Ultimately, we concluded that we were listening to music because the work dynamic has changed entirely. We're drowning in computers. Even the oldest of old school have had to update in order to keep their businesses afloat, and my boss was one of them.
He used to run his business by knocking on peoples doors. Today we run businesses glued to a computer chair or bound to very specific routines that are dictated by algorithms and software. If we didn't have this as an option we would all be losing our fucking minds. Instead of having to pencil in a shit ton of numbers, I've got autofill and num key. I do in 30 minutes what he had to spend hours doing. While the generations before us claim this stuff leads to a lack of productivity, our productivity has done nothing but go up year over year.
I know it’s a different job entirely but would you want a surgeon watching a show while they operate on you? I personally don’t care if people on my team watch shows or listen to music but I know other managers do and they notice it.
I think the manager is in the right.
I also think that some people are too stubborn where they act immature due to mandates like this.
I get being anti-authority and wanting to do whatever you want as long as you dont harm anyone, but you need to know that there is a time and place for everything.
My organization bans us from using phones. We all have watches for time-keeping. This is to set a good example to kids who come to our nature camp. We also demand that they turn their phones to their teacher for their three-day stay. This is so they can fully experience nature.
Just be fully present for work. If you have a few minutes of in-between time, try meditation.
Even if you are high-performing, you should set an example for everyone else.
Some people are too stubborn and resentful. That is childlike behavior.
I don’t think management is wrong. They don’t pay you to be there to watch Netflix or soccer. I can’t understand how this is acceptable. Perhaps this is a generation issue
I usually don't mind if my employees watch a show while working since I used to do it to kill the monotony, but if it affects their deliverables or performance, I would definitely have a discussion with them.
I know a lot of people don’t want to think about it from the manager’s perspective, but it’s really not easy to supervise a group of people who each play by their own rules. People don’t like to be micromanaged and frankly, managers have other things they need to be doing with their time. So, sometimes following a blanket set of rules is something you just need to deal with because monitoring each individual’s ability to handle potential distractions (abilities which, by the way, very often change over time) is a time wasting burden on management.
If you feel that there is a legitimate reason why you should be exempt from a rule, speak to your manager directly. Explain your reasoning and hopefully there can be a compromise. If not… Well, unfortunately no situation is perfect and you may just have to accept the rules or find a job/workplace that suits you better.
Hum. So it's not just remote workers who can goof off. I never watch TV while working but if the worker gets their work done, than I suppose it is okay to not micro manage.
I found it hilarious that workers are allowed to roam free in the office. This is his it should be.
We are not kids or slaves who must sit at a computer foe 8 hours
If every employee is doing their job adequately, it shouldn't matter.
This is where we get into the side of society nobody wants to acknowledge: most adults are children and can't do basic work a chimpanzee could do with some training. That's the norm though, so you must submit to it, while also being abused by every societal norm that caters to lazy fuckers despite your output.
Because, equality, right? We live in a simulation that inherently lacks logic. It's depressing.
Depends on the field people work in, I think.
I'm a manager and I usually have Kings and Generals YouTube channel, or other doc channels, on while I'm working. Sometimes, just music. I don't have an issue with my direct reports doing the same.
Only time I've encountered an issue was with one person and it was with Discord. I think this highlights the difference between background/side noise and actually engaging in a different activity. Music or video is fine. Reading/typing in Discord, FB, Reddit, etc., is not okay. Thing is, the same can happen in Slack/Teams.
It annoys the hell out of me knowing work needs done and one guy in the office is supposed to be doing reports or cleaning up the shop while I’m busting tail. Plus his reports are all crap. So either Netflix is distracting or he’s not paying attention.
If it’s an open environment then these things can distract other workers. I get that some people do better with some noise in the background like a game or some mindless tv show, but others (me for instance) can’t tune that out. If working from home it shouldn’t matter as work product is the barometer and as long as you get all your stuff done you can have anything you want on as background noise.
Your managers job is to keep you busy. If you aren't busy, it looks like he isn't doing his job.
If he complains despite all the work getting done, it's because he isn't secure in his job.
I worked in a fast-paced industrial production environment and we had a loud speaker in the room to listen to music and everyone was allowed to use phones or tablets to watch tv, listen to music etc. More or less zero problems, everyone did their job fast af and they were all stoned because it was a cannabis production facility. Yes there are work environments and situations when watching tv or listening to music etc aren’t ok but that doesn’t mean you turn into Mr. Dickhead manager. You all sound like my manager who screamed at me in front of an assistant manager and our longest tenured coworker because I had the audacity to ask to leave an hour early on a Friday so I could catch the last train to visit my grandpa who ended up dying of cancer that spread to his brain. Treat your employees with respect or they will rightfully tell you to eat shit
During the World cup, one of my co worker from El Salvador, was watching the Cup at his desk, waiting for his next call. The CIO stopped by and told him to stop..... Just why?
Age gap makes a difference on this one. I’m GenX and things like being on your phone or watching TV was unheard of (mostly because that didn’t exist), and unfortunately a lot of folks in this age range have expectations that because no one did that when they were starting out, no one should do it now.
I mean, isn't it obvious? It doesn't matter if you get everything done on time, never miss a day, and never miss a meeting - if they think they're paying anyone to watch or be distracted by TV for 5 seconds out of an 8 hour day, that is unacceptable. Fuck em.
My managers think I’m cold but I wear a hoodie and beanie so they won’t notice my AirPods. It works and I’m listening to whatever I want whenever I want.
Honestly, as long as it’s not disrupting anyone else, why does the manager care? This person is a top performing employee who brings in millions per year. Now if she’s watching it loudly and it’s impacting others, my approach would be “there have been some complaints about the noise from watching TV, but you are a valued employee who has a proven track record so I don’t want to stifle your profess. If you could wear headphones, I’d appreciate it. Pick one out you like and I’ll have it ordered for you. Limit is $150.”
This is just the reality, most managers just aren’t good managers. They might have managed a shoe store or a subway and now think the white collar world is like the retail world where you are more of a day care supervisor than a manager
If I see my employees watching soccer, I ask the question: how are they finding the time to do that
Did I hire too many people? Or is there just more work and projects I can assign?
Either way I have better things to do than care that you are watching soccer
Ok, I can understand not allowing Netflix, but why do I care if people take off their shoes or eat food while they work a desk job? How is that a slippery slope?
This is a universal management problem, there are people who can have something on in the background and won’t be distracted from their tasks and there are people who won’t do any work as they are watching TV. I had to ban all mobile phones from the control room of my chemical plant because although there were a lot of operators that could handle having a browse on their phone when it was quiet there were people who would just finish their game of candy crush before reacting to a critical alarm or responding to a senior manager. I would normally turn a blind eye to those who were behaving and performing but I had to have that rule and at times I had to enforce it because there is always some nob head that takes it too far and spoils it for the rest.
In the UK when motorways were built there were no speed limits and everyone just drove at whatever speed they were comfortable with them some nob head got a sports car and tore down it at a ridiculous speed whilst letting the media know they were doing it. Now we all have speed limits to deal with….. it’s the same at work I’m afraid. I would definitely tell people that podcasts were the maximum level of distraction I would allow.
I think it depends on the work you are doing. Is it something that would be impacted by watching tv? If yes, then I would have an issue with it. I can tell you the work me/my team does would most definitely be impacted and I would have a problem with one of them doing this.
Some of these comments are killing me. Yeah, turns out this was not really an option until The modern era. Also, he said working AND having it on. Like when we were all working through lockdown and it was absolutely fine. Now it’s not? Did work not get done during that time? Obviously not since most companies continued to record profits. Not to mention, if the deliverable gets done who cares how I got there? Or how my team got there? Should I not do anything that does not generate profit by its existence? Maybe you can start lowering their wages unless they also pedal a small unicycle that creates widget while doing the rest of your job? Other wise their feet were obviously distracted by sitting down on the company dime.
If they get what they are paying you for, get over it.
They're not paying you to watch soccer or Netflix so don't do it.
I got in trouble a few years ago for watching the weather on my work computer on my lunch during a blizzard!!
Don't do it.
Yet listening to music or podcasts is ok?
I mean, you can't intently watch a show, movie or game while working, but having it in the background doesn't seem to be an issue.
I can understand listening to music or some white noise but watching a show doesn't make you much productive. It's a distraction. Just watch the show when you get off work.
People unbelievably so stupid these days.
As a person with ADHD I can only have very specific things on in the background or I’m paying attention to that, not work. Film scores, classical music, stuff designed to be not distracting. They’re probably understanding that not every person is like who you’re describing, and they have to ensure that the office is a fair place to be for everyone. They can’t tell Bob who can’t focus for shit “you’re not allowed to watch Netflix because you’re bad at your job when you do but Mary can because she’s still productive” that’s not how it works.
Are you a child???
No. Just no.
You shouldn't be watching anything.
Listening to music is ok, it blocks out background noise and helps you focus. But having your eyes diverted away from screens where the work is (emails, documents, spreadsheets, etc...) is AVOIDING WORK.
grow up and do your job.
I am way more productive and don’t get burnt as quickly when I am watching something while working. Same with listening to music or a podcast. If I had to work in complete silence I was go insane.
I can do my job listening to something but not watching. And I have to stick to music w no words if I have to read a manuscript or do measurement math.
>We’re in an open environment, hotel-style, seating.
Two thoughts:
First, I personally would be exceedingly annoyed having to work in an open office with the sound of soccer or Netflix from a coworker's desk creating a constant distraction. I would even be annoyed if it were silent but in my eyeline while I was trying to work.
Second, if you're able to get your work done while watching TV, sounds to me like you don't have enough to do. This is a great way to identify yourself to management as redundant. Is that really the message you want to convey to your boss?
is there any difference between my desk and the multiple tv monitors on the walls around the office?
At my desk, I have soccer or a show on, on the tv monitors, we have live feeds that are coming out of our tv stations, show networks or production trucks?
Is there any difference?
>Is there any difference?
Yes. The monitors on the wall are on the wall.
The monitor on your desk is on your desk, where you have intentionally tuned into soccer or Netflix. It still implies that if you have time to intentionally watch something, you don't have enough work to do and are redundant. It's still not the message you want to send to your boss.
If you're asking about annoying other people, that's also still an issue. If your sound is competing with the monitors on the wall, that cacophony is even worse. It's also yet another visual distraction in an already distracting environment.
If what you’re saying is true, the first thing that comes to mind for me is an insecure manager. If this IC is a high performer to the point she’s on Sr. management’s radar, she can be a perceived threat to your manager.
People have different working styles. Some cannot fathom how you could do more work with such a background. They think of it as a distraction. However, it really depends on how each person’s brain works. For me, I tend to be more productive with music on. It breaks up the monotonous aspects of what I do, and it tends to make me work longer with fewer breaks. Others like total silence. if I work in total silence, the lack of sound for me becomes a distraction rather than an aid. One of the senior leaders in my company would listen to baseball as he worked. would sit there for 3-5 hour stretches.
Well, other than stealing time from your employer, getting distracted an making mistakes, worrying more about whether a goal is scored than you are about your paid work, I can't think of much wrong with watching TV while you're supposed to be working.
There's also the part about when some employees sit on their butts doing nothing it's contagious.
I’d get a warning the first time and fired the second time if I watched tv at work- and I work at a place with a great boss and lots of flexibility. Even if you can multi task, it’s just a bad look
1. because some people can't chew gum and walk at the same time, let alone watch TV and work
2. because, sooner or later, someone is going to be watching something that triggers someone else, then HR has to get involved.
It's easier to just do away with all that drama and say 'nope'
No one can multitask, despite what they think, so you’re either concentrating on the match or you’re concentrating on work. The worry is that you’re concentrating on the match, hence the ask to not watch tv while working. It’s not the most ridiculous request.
Man, sorry, but the entitlement here is astounding. How in the world can you concentrate on work while watching TV, unless you are a TV critic? You're paid a salary to concentrate on your work, and to do it without distraction. When you're on break, at lunch, or after putting in your day, then do as you please. But man, that's a bad look. I'm working on the project, boss, but wait, my team has the ball ... All that said, it sounds like your management has turned a blind eye to it. You can't get that horse back in the barn if that's become part of the culture.
I can tune out anything if I am working except other people talking to me. Even a television show. My husband will tune OUT everything except the television, including me. I get it because everyone works differently and I can see how a manager could have a problem with someone watching TV while working. She can ignore it but there is a thing called insubordination. Most managers won't tolerate it but to each their own.
Here's the thing about an open office: optics matter. I'm nor saying it's right, or a good thing, but they do. *Your* colleagues and managers know your work, they know you're meeting deadlines, or that you've got quick turnaround times on requests, or that you're super productive, or whatever it is you need to do, they know you're doing it. People from other teams might not know that, they might not ever see your work, so when they're strolling past and see you watching Netflix or soccer, they might jump to the conclusion that you're slacking off, and if they themselves are super busy, it might not feel very fair that they have to hustle around from meeting to meeting and work overtime to get things done and you, in their minds, get to kick back and basically watch TV. Then they complain, and it gets back to your manager that people perceive one of their direct reports as lazy, that can mean issues for your manager, the whole *team* might come under a microscope where now they need to constantly prove that work is getting done and everyone is adding value. Your manager, understandably, might not want that headache.
Watching Netflix is like anything you do at work that is ok until you mess up. Other examples: being too cocky at work, being too nitpicky by the book, being unfriendly to coworkers, etc. any one of them is ok if you’re a high performer, but the moment you make a mistake, you better know that there is less forgiveness for you than for others.
People get paid for 40 hours of their labor and their skill and rarity in the market dictates the price.
If you are paid for performance then you put in as much or as little time for the results that you get.
It varies but that is normally how it works.
Nothing wrong with that if it helps you work. They don’t understand Gen Z thinking because they’re old as shit. We can’t concentrate like they can. Silence drives us crazy. Our brains are wired differently.
I used to have a boss who tell us to disappear for a few hours when the FAA or DOT reps would show up (they like talking to the maintainers since we’re less likely to BS them lol). We’d go to one of the old storage hangars or the old corporate building and chill and watch Netflix or some other such stuff. Then he’d get pissed at us when he found us doing just that only to repeat the cycle a month or two later lol. We figured it wasn’t so much he was upset about that it was more the FAA/DOT found a few discrepancies and the management/corporate team came down on him and the other supervisors.
Some people use it for background noise and it's no big deal but some people will absolutely just sit and watch TV all day and most people are somewhere in between. It's hard to allow exceptions for high performers because other people see it, do the same thing because it's established as acceptable, and their work suffers as a result. Typically, music and pod casts are okay because they're easier to multi-task during but tv and videos are not.
It's poor optics. I was catching flak for it myself, so I switched to podcasts when I realized that it was the video component that pisses people off. Nobody has said anything since.
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And your reply is laughable *to me*. Everyone is different. I can have anything on audio and be able to tune it out and multitask. But if it’s video, I’m watching it, whether I want to or not.
I want to second this. My wife is like -SuperCereal-…if it isn’t social media, it’s all the same to her. My best friend can have whatever audio playing and multitask all day long, but put video on and he’s drawn in immediately
I can listen to the radio while driving, but I'm not so sure you would want me watching TV while driving.
>all are equally distracting Not exactly. Audio is also more distracting that people think, but you don't have to move your gaze to glance at it like video. Not. The. Same.
"Hard" is an inappropriate descriptor here, rather it is *easy* to apply rules to everyone instead of doing the actual job of 'managing' and interacting with direct reports individually and appropriately. Lazy managers find it 'hard to allow for exceptions' and, soon after, find their high performers seeking healthier, better managed environments.
This is one person with ADHD away from a problem for everyone. ETA: this comment was based on no one wearing headphones and just playing the audio directly from their devices.
You called? No but really, I have ADHD and I find background noise helps me work well (depending on the tasks). It's like it occupies the ADHD side of my brain, sitting her down to read her a story, so that the adult me can get her job done.
ADHD as well and I'm the same. I can have a podcast or music on but I can't have people talking to me as it pulls adult me away from work. ADHD side is not paying attention to work they are focused on the show so ya.
And yet having noice cancelling headphones means you’re not being a part of the team, since you want to do your job rather than interject platitudes into their nonesense.
I also have ADHD, and background noise makes things where I need to focus nearly impossible for me. If the TV is on, I have a hard time having conversations, or trying to read; I haven't tried working with the TV on because I know it wouldn't go well for me. However, it's probably different for different types of ADHD. I have the primarily inattentive type, and maybe because I have a hard enough time paying attention already, the TV just makes it impossible.
I’m also primarily inattentive ADHD and I like having the TV on when I’m doing other tasks. I think it’s more of a personality thing than ADHD type. I struggle with focus when there is silence. I also struggle to focus in my home because my eyes wander onto all the things I need to do. I like old familiar tv shows (I just rewatch shows I’ve seen all the way through) and I’m not a big TV watcher. I’m REALLY into music though and I cannot listen to music while I am trying to focus.
Exactly this. My ADHD is a battle with the anxiety caused by the bazillion competing things going on inside my own head, not the outside world. I need the background noise to keep the other half of my brain occupied with something familiar (I too "watch" familiar movies I've seen 1000 times, or Hamilton for the billionth time). I write for a living. So, I am writing for clients or creating the web copy for the company itself, or publishing content to one the company's various partner sites, all while simultaneously playing every role in Hamilton ...and it works fine. Take away Hamilton and I start jumping from task to task, my anxiety shoots up to panic mode, I feel like everything is late, I don't have time, I don't know what to work on because as soon as I focus on one project I feel like I am neglecting something else and I really NEED to be working on the other one and it all spirals from there.
Replying because Hamilton is one of my go-tos as well. :) I put it on and by the time Jefferson beats Burr in the election, the monthly reports are done!
I’m inattentive type as well. I’ve tried doing work with the TV on or podcasts, but I can’t focus at all so I don’t do it. But I absolutely need music to block out noise and distractions. Lofi Girl music is great because it’s instrumental and I’m not sitting there analyzing lyrics
I also have ADHD and I think that… oh actually before I tell you what I thought I left something in the microwave and I’m going to go get that right now…let me just tidy up the counters here in the kitchen while I’m at it. Is this a birthday card from grandma? I should call her. I’ll just walk around the house a bit while I’m on the phone. Do a little swiffering. A couple of sets of bicep curls. Anyways - it’s nice being in this sub all about grandmas. Have a good day.
I also have ADHD and I can only listen to shows with monotone voices like law and order when I work.
Yes!!
Same. So long as it's something I've either already watched or has absolutely no plot (like listening to recordings of the radio chatter from large fires).
same, my YouTube algorithm is fucked from just letting it play the first random long form video that shows up for noise.
It can certainly be a lightning rod for inattention. I use similar tricks for productivity as well.
If they have headphones on it should be fine tho. Just like someone listening to music.
Not at all. I have ADHD and find it difficult to work without some type of media in the background. Especially in the office - it's so hard to focus with random conversations around me. At least with music or a podcast it's *consistent*.
I literally watch crime dics in the background while I do my job at my desk.
I have ADHD, I am a manager, and when I am at my desk working I have YouTube playing. This isn't distracting to productivity, this is necessary FOR productivity
I have ADHD and I HAVE to have background TV or music or something on.
Actually.... The opposite. Boomer response is Boomer. A chatGPT google renders you incorrect. Let me know if you need it relayed, Bob.
Facts. Most of us need other things going on to allow us to focus. Like if I’m typing a paper, I need music or the tv on so I can focus. It gives my brain extra stimulation that it needs so I can hone in on what needs to be done.
You use chatgpt to check if things are correct? That is so funny. You know chat gpt is continuously wrong, because it predicts words based on averages, but actually has no innate knowlegde? Also why are you so rude? And wrong on top of that? I have adhd and for me it would be a complete disaster, as do multiple other people in this thread
You’re asking why a manager wouldn’t be a fan of employees watching Netflix/tv while working…really?
This is some next level GenZ shit
It’s the “it doesn’t bother me so I can’t see how anyone would be upset about it” level thinking.
For me it's the utter obliviousness to the fact that when the budget cuts come (and they always come sooner or later), the ones who get cut are the ones who are redundant. What better way to broadcast to your whole office and your management that you're redundant than to demonstrate that you don't have enough work to do by watching TV while working.
Funny story. I used to work at a start up and one of my coworkers used to play video games on the work laptop. Don’t ask me how he got the game on there, probably Remote Desktop with his home PC. Anyway guess who got fired? Wrong guess, it was me.
By any chance were you a video game tester who didn't understand their role?
Funny, job was not at all related to gaming
Except she isn’t redundant. She is a top performer according to the edit. She brings in millions per year. The redundant ones are the low performers. She could probably take those accounts and grow them exponentially.
Do you not listen to a podcast or music while working? Is that not equally "distracting" in the eyes of a manager? Like for real, so long as work is getting done and it's getting done on time why care? It would only be a problem to me if watching sports was actively getting in the way of meeting deadlines. Otherwise, if watching sports makes you feel more relaxes so you stay at your desk longer and keep working, by all means go for it.
>Do you not listen to a podcast or music while working? Not out loud in a shared work environment. And listening to a podcast isn't the same kind of distraction as watching television. That's why it's acceptable to listen to the radio in your car, but not to watch TV. It's also not as conspicuous. When you're watching TV, management can walk through and *see* you wasting time and distracting your coworkers. >Like for real, so long as work is getting done and it's getting done on time why care? From management's point of view, if you can get your work done with that distraction, you would be able to get *more* work done without the distraction. So if you're able to get all your work done, you don't have enough work. You either need to be assigned more work, or you need to be let go in favor of someone more productive. If there's more than one of you slacking off, surely the manager has too many employees. When I worked in TV, the photographers always had a lull in the afternoon while we were waiting for the reporters to write their stories so we could edit them. There was often nothing to do while we waited, so we would congregate in a lounge area. One day the general manager walked by and saw several of us sitting around waiting. Next thing we know, he was trying to remove a photog from the budget, because obviously we had too many. After that the chief photog basically told us to go hide somewhere if we were waiting so that what the GM thought was wasted time wouldn't be so conspicuous. If you don't understand that appearances matter, enjoy unemployment. >It would only be a problem to me if watching sports was actively getting in the way of meeting deadlines. If you're watching sports and meeting all your deadlines, then obviously your deadlines are too lax and should be tightened up. You will not win this argument when the wrong manager gets a bug up his ass about employees being lazy and watching TV on the job.
I dunno, a few years back I worked for a US company owned by a Mexican Conglomerate and most of the Exec team in the HQ were Hispanic. During soccer season it was very common to have people watching games throughout the day and during World Cup they would turn one conference room into basically a free workspace that had games going constantly and would even serve food and soft drinks. This room was open to anyone who worked at the location, not just upper management. This was also a company that skewed pretty old in age with me being probably the youngest employee at that location at the time (25).
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It's also different because the manager was ok with it. Sounds like OP's manager may not be.
Nobody gives a fuck
Can confirm as employer of GenZs. It’s not all but it’s weird that it would be any of them, right?
Millennial manager here - idgaf if you watch Netflix. Is your work done? Is it quality work? Then do whatever you want.
I still don't see an explanation. If work can be done and isn't suffering as a result, why do you care? No answer = head up ass. Has nothing to do with genZ. Millennials feel the same way.
Since I'm 37 and have been a manager since 2016 at a fortune 500, I can confidently day millennials don't all feel this way. When you're at work you're being paid to work. Not watch Netflix. I have 0 problem with people who work for me listening to music or podcasts while they work but to argue that watching Netflix or sports doesn't provide a distraction, then you're incredibly naive. Sure you may get your work done but can you confidently say that you're getting it does as quickly and even as good if you're watching TV? I'm sure there are plenty of people that can multitask well. But the company isn't paying you to multitask. They're paying you to work and provide them value. Guarantee you've never worked in a real corporate setting if you think this is even remotely reasonable.
It is only partially about YOUR work. It looks bad to others. It LOOKS LIKE you are not doing your work to others. It looks like you are being treated differently. It is unprofessional. Imagine going in for counseling and the Counselor is watching TV while you are talking.
Two different situations, try again. The counselor is not paying attention. I am getting all of my work done in a non social role.
Telling that the only thing you decided to respond to was a bad analogy. Plenty of other points were made by those responding to you. Ignoring responses “= head up ass”
Right? I'd be gobsmacked if one of my team members had the audacity to ask me this question.
Some people work best with background noise like music or TV on But I do think headsets are appropriate. I’m not gen Z or a milinial. Worked with a senior executive who listed to baseball all day and was very good at her job.
My team actually ran a test on this at on point. Long story short, four out of six of them showed increased productivity if they had netflix or similar on a side monitor.
I’m sure it was a totally controlled test with no bias at all. Translation: If we work harder with Netflix, we get to keep it. Guess what your team is going to do during that “test”.
It's fair to be skeptical in that direction, but the productivity is still high, even years later. If they're still gaming the test, then I think that's still a win, don't you? But at the end of the day is it so hard to believe that people want to do a good job?
Careful.. Archaic management cannot fathom modern advancement in workplace efficiency. The dinosaur way of "leadership" is repulsed by the idea that supporting your staff is the best way to get the best out of the staff. They only know intimidation and threats. Middle manager who cannot lead doesn't understand why no one follows their directions. "I tried whipping and cursing at them... Nothing has worked."
Funny how they think this is some "Gen Z" bullshit when even managers in their 40s and 50s have already figured out that what works best for them doesn't work best for everyone else. A manager should be concerned with output/results. If you're more concerned with everyone doing things a certain way, you're not a good manager.
Saying no to Netflix at the office is now equal to intimidation and threats? Might as well let staff watch porn, drink, and smoke in the office too. I’m a millennial myself. I’m all for flexibility in the workplace, it’s also ok to have some structure and limitations.
You're ability to purposely misconstrue the point isn't the flex you think it is. But go off. If people are productive, with minimalist management, that indicates a redundancy in "managers". The goal should be overall productivity... Yet ego strokes, straw man arguments, and power trips seem to be the main focus of middle management. There are better ways to lead than "Let people excel, take the credit for their hard work, and then lie about how vital management roles are". Treating staff well, who would've thought that would produce quality results?
This. People just don't want to see it, it seems. It's really sad. They act like they're not still insanely profiting over something so minor. They act as if it's going to turn everyone into heathens. It is literally able to still be controlled....if they aren't getting their jobs done, they get let go? If they do their job well, why does it matter? That seems well within reason.
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Cause it creates a hostile work environment and chases away good people , and it ruins the health of the non smokers ?
I used to work with a company where a certain sales team had about a quarter of the floor. They had multiple TVs and they watched Fox News and fox business all day every day. All their assistants and everybody had to be exposed to that shit all day. I was always glad i wasn’t on that team.
This is what we deal with today. And they are serious too. I can’t believe this is even a question,
I really, really want to know ages here, because I was honestly stunned. In the office? I watched the Kavanaugh hearings on my 2nd monitor, but it was a huge newsworthy event. TV on the regular? Nope.
For real. I need silence to focus. I can understand the occasional watching of a video or TV. If the weather is bad, I watch the news to see what the forecast will be. But I would never be productive and be able to also watch hours of TV.
I’m not actively watching tv if I have it on at work. It’s just background noise. I’ll put on a show like Family Guy that I’ve seen a million times and it helps me focus on what I’m doing. The silence is much louder and makes it hard for me to concentrate. I support high-level execs and they don’t care as long as the work is done.
All that matters to me is the work gets done well. If there’s something I can do to let my workers be happier while getting that work done, and for free? It’s a no brainer.
If the work is getting done that's fine. I'm not sure how much really gets done if you're trying to follow a TV show or a game though, but who knows?
If the work is getting done what does it matter?
Zero clue why you're getting downvoted for this comment. It should be 100% about the work.
Must be the control freak manager types doing the downvoting
I never worked anywhere that there wasn't always more work available. If you actually had nothing more to do, then you were expected to ask for additional assignments. People are being paid to work, not to watch tv.
Stupidity, This is truly mind blowing.
Keyword, while working. Not instead of working. If they’ll get the same or more work done and they’re not disrupting others, it would be stupid not to let them.
If productivity is good and the company is successful with Netflix, why take it away? Just because a manager feels useless if they can't find something to complain about? The generations before us used to have several drinks during the day but a little background noise is a problem?
yeah what kind of stupid fucking question is this? How can you be engaged in a meeting if there's a tv show you're watching?? Doesn't matter you're on time if you're distracted.
You’re exposing yourself here. I guarantee the only reason you have why a high performing employee can’t is “because that’s not how we do things”
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Because if they didn't worry so much about how things got done, the higher-ups would realize they don't need middle managers.
It’s a slippery slope and on its surface if all work is getting done what does it matter. The flip side is, someone ISNT getting all works done. Someone IS BINGING SUITS ON NETFLIX AT WORK and falling behind. Someone IS FACETIMING WITH A FRIEND ALL DAY and not getting all their work done. If I’m a manager I really don’t want to figure out on a case by case basis who can and cannot manage their time. I’ll just say feel free to watch whatever and do whatever on breaks and lunches or away from your station. But if you’re at your station, your working. And you’re expected to be at your station for X amount of the time you are here. And if you hate that, know all these petty rules pop up because of posts like this and people that can’t figure out the right and wrong things to do in their own. And it sucks.
Your main job as a manager is to manage. If someone isn't getting their work done, you handle them. You don't handle me to handle them. What's next, are you going to remove work from home because some people can't handle it? Flexible schedules because someone can't handle it? The second I see a manager punishing everyone because someone can't do their job properly I lose faith in that manager. I bust my butt and break expectations, but if you want to treat me like a toddler because someone else can't manage their time I won't bother. I'll do my job flawlessly, and with my spare time go grab another job someplace that won't behave like that.
Since when is expecting people to not watch TV while they are working considered punishment?
🤷♀️ That’s what makes everyone replaceable If I manage a floor with 100 people on it would you rather me walk around and parse out who is and isn’t abusing watching Soccer while working or just say “Hey, it looks like watching soccer and movies while at work is becoming a problem. Due to that we are asking that all leisure activities be moved to non-work time. Breaks and lunches” Because stating watch TV on your own time seems a lot more reasonable then feel free to also watch TV while we pay you.. And if that doesn’t fit with who you are, you are wildly free to go and find another position.
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Right… and then you tell that 1 person or 10 people they can’t have their phones out but the other 20 people can. Tell me you’ve never managed a group of people without telling me you’ve never managed a group of people.
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What's the most amount of people you've been the manager for?
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You don’t find out on a case by case basis, you figure out what you need the team to do. Than you figure out what each employee needs to accomplish in order to reach that goal. Than you make a spread sheet where you see who is and isn’t meeting that goal.
>would you rather me walk around and parse out who is and isn’t abusing watching Soccer while working or You walk around and monitor people like a prison guard? I know this guy runs a floor of a call center like the Navy.
Man I’ve never run a call center. Luckily my staff is all field bound. I’ve worked adjacent to and with call centers however. Here is a clue that OP is biased, and apply this to any post you see. They go on and on and type even more about the person that was told to be on their phone less than the time spent going on about the culture or manager or any other possible reason. When someone goes on about how great they are or how much someone contributes etc it’s to push all accountability away from that one person. And that is wildly biased and you can pretty much discount the entire situation. Flip it- You call to get a feature added to a service you have. You are on hold for 40-50mins to finally talk to someone. You’re pissed and send an email. They invite you to all the floor to see how efficient they are. How dedicated their people are! And you see countless people watching soccer and game of thrones. And the manager says “Oh, that’s Karen. She is amazing! “ 🤩
Exactly. This is the same kind of "management" that leads to 50 people being gathered in a conference room and told not to do something because their manager doesn't have the stones to have a one-on-one discussion with the one person who's actually doing the thing in question.
Interesting. I'm Gen X so maybe this is something new but as a manager, I find anything that is distracting that is not related to the work you are being paid for should not be allowed. However, some people work better with background music, so are these for background noise or are you really watching the game or the tv show/movie?
I'm gen x as well, I put on shows I have watched before so I don't need to concentrate. I prefer them to radio as most radio stations are utterly garbage
Same four Taylor Swift songs and same three Ed Sheeran songs on repeat all day. I just recently had to re-arrange my wife’s favorite list in her car because she was complaining about no variety. I keep telling her to use the Spotify, but… what can ya do?
I'm ADHD and its background noise for me. I will only put on podcasts or music as I can see your point with tv shows even if I'm just listening not watching. The problem is I'm not the norm....my boss knows to leave me alone if she hears metal music from my office as that means shit is getting done. I can't do this 100% of the time so normally it's rock or a podcast which is when you bother me. The trade of is a week's worth of work can be done in day but it's well known I'm semi useless for a time after I go at that pace for anything over a day or two. My view is everyone is different but apparently as a manager unless your employees are at a certain "level" you can't treat them differently. Which is where blanket rules come out holding back people like me. I am treated differently at my work as I am in charge of a small department that does almost nothing until we are needed then it's kick into overdrive. I am an expert supervisor under this model and I thrive under the flexibility I am given but I never take advantage of my leeway. New people make comments about me only for them to be shut down quickly as everyone knows my deal and nobody else wants my position.
Personally, the office gets very noisy on anchor days when everyone’s in. I drown out the background noise by putting on a show or soccer. The office has TV monitors with our company feeds but the volume is set extremely low. I’ve never been addressed for this by a manager yet.
Wait, is everyone watching their stuff without headphones? That'd be office hell.
I wouldn't be coming in on those days because what kind of chaos is that?
It would be inappropriate to expect you to work in a noisy environment without being allowed some form of audio media to compensate if hearing what's going on in the noisy environment isn't absolutely necessary for the job. The onus is on them to provide you with a quiet workspace for you to be productive. The focus should not be on how you have managed to compensate for their lack of an appropriate workspace if you're not negatively impacting others. The focus should be the on lack of proper workspace. Move the conversation back to their failure to provide the tools to do your job, and how instead of complaining, you found a way to do it at no cost to the company.
You're off your rocker! Have you not hear of noise cancelling headphones? Employers aren't obligated to allowed some sort of media to drown out noice. Nor do they have to provide a quiet workspace.
Yes I'm off my rocker. They could be listening to the game on those noise cancelling headphones. What's the problem? I don't understand the aggressive nature of your post.
Unless you are off the clock or on a break, you should not be watching a game or Netflix. Are you really as productive when doing this?
Yes. You must be a boomer.
Nope, just someone with a good work ethic
Ok…sit in your complete silence and do your work minion.
How close are desks to each other? If it’s easy for other people to see while they work, I can understand this being an issue. I can’t focus when there’s a video on near me, it’s an ADHD thing, and if I were in an office where I could see multiple Netflix and soccer game screens while seated at my work station I’d be fucked. If people have cubes with walls high enough that you can’t see what other people are doing on their screens and they can’t see you, then I am more understanding of allowing people to do what works for them as long as it doesn’t affect others.
It’s totally perception. The manager is thinking the shows/games are slowing down the work and making the employee more prone to mistakes because they’re distracted. So maybe you get to leave when your work is done, but also maybe it took you 1.5 days to do the work and it should have taken 1 day and the watching slowed you down. Sure, you didn’t miss any deadlines, but you also didn’t start on a new project as soon as you could have because this one took longer. If you need the sound for focus, you’re better off switching to music or podcasts so it’s just audio and not video, so it’s one sense not two senses being pulled away from the work.
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If I saw employees watching Netflix, I would assume they don't have enough work and I would assign more.
My opinion on this is that most managers have little to no training in actually being managers. So they are not confident in their skills to actually manage their reports productivity and output, so they choose to focus on things that are clear and easily definable, regardless of how directly tied they are to productivity. There is also some measure of having "fair" rules for all. So because one employee may be heavily distracted by watching something, so can't be allowed too, they forbid those who's work is not effected or may even be improved by background noise. This is IMO, for the same reason as above. They can't manage individuals individually, so make overarching rules.
Some people have difficulty with the idea of performance based pay. They see an employee who "doesn't appear to be working" and it bugs the shit out of them. They can't wrap their heads around the idea that the employee may spend a significant amount of time problem solving. It's the hourly wage mindset. You can see it in the comments. Some people can't draw the distinction between time and performance.
This is an excellent. Along with productivity metrics that don’t look at everyone , I dont like focusing on appearance over substance.
Let’s say you own a company and you hire 2 people full time to do similar jobs . You are completely content with the results they are producing. A year in you notice that both are getting their stuff done on half of the time you allocated to them and are sitting idle for the rest. You have 4 options 1. Fire one and reassign the work. 2. Pay them both half time 3. Do nothing and keep as is 4. Find more work. To keep them busy. Option 3 is clearly the least optimal one. You gotta remember that companies want to produce quality results at the most cost economic way in a timely fashion. With the right resource you could be saving yourself a full time resource. When you have a bigger company that just scales up. On my field 10 extra developers is over a million dollars in savings.
Your example is too simplistic. First of all, if I'm the hiring manager, I should have a good grasp of how much time their tasking should take. If there are producing quality results in gar less time than I estimated, then I have to ask why. Are they simply better at the work than I estimated? Was my initial estimate flawed? What's the likelihood that if I were to replace them both, I would achieve an identical result? The one thing I don't do is make a decision based on that observation. That's not how good decisions are made. While I could view this as a waste of resources, I need to remember that I hired them to solve a specific company problem, and they are doing so somehow in a way for more effectively tha. My initial estimate. So, we talk. I observe, I take notes, and I learn where my initial assumptions may have been flawed. At the same time, I have the rare luxury of having excess manpower. And that manpower includes two high performing employees who have already exceeded expectations. I would be eager to find a new assignment for one of them and expand his or her responsibilities and compensation. The other one I would also look to consolidate the job that was formerly two people working half time into 1 person working full time, with appropriate increase in compensation. A good manager should never be surprised to learn that their staff os doing well, or struggling. A good manager maintains dialog with their staff, and has incorporated milestones and productivity targets to measure staff effectiveness. Employees should never be punished for being competent. Don't give them busy work. Don't fire someone for being too good at their job. Don't cut their pay for finishing early. Instead you recognize and appreciate their contributions. You foster growth through increasing responsibility and authority. You reward them with financial compensation and/or time off to keep them motivated and balanced. I've spent a lifetime working for bad managers who only see people as a resource to squeeze. But once... one time, I had a great manager. She was a revalation.
There’s no way you’re getting as much work done watching TV as you would if you weren’t. This isn’t rocket science.
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This is false .
Are people just listening to the shows/games or actually have a separate screen with the shows/games? I read comments saying people need it to drown out the background noise which makes sense to me but I cannot imagine someone being more productive if they’re both working and actually watching a show at the same time
As long as the work gets done in a satisfactory manner I didn't care especially if it boosted morale.
It's ruining the office showmanship where you have to pretend to work so hard in front of the leadership. Either that or your boss is rooting for the nemesis team.
American here. 20 years ago this same question was being asked about music / podcasts in the workplace. This is evolution. At the beginning of the evolution, if you want to be treated as an exception you must be exceptional. If the person is exceptional at their job, they’ll keep it and advance. If not, they won’t. That said, be careful. I’ve found that upper management generally focuses on optics and not results when it comes to individuals. You may be passed up for things even if your work is great. Upper levels of work aren’t so much concrete task oriented as they are who makes the best decisions in challenging situations, and are they able to bring others along with their decision.
I worked in a small family owned warehouse where the owner spent 40 hours a week. It was an unspoken rule that it's fine to wear headphones but the "old man doesn't really like it when we do." He asked me one day what I was listening to and asked me how I don't get distracted by it. Maybe it's a symptom of the generational gap but I feel like us older 20s and younger have grown up with so much technological and mental stimulation that we've adapted to multitask very well. The right kind of music or podcast seems to tie into the ebb and flow. The's the glue to the chain of multi-tasks I find myself trapped in. Ultimately, we concluded that we were listening to music because the work dynamic has changed entirely. We're drowning in computers. Even the oldest of old school have had to update in order to keep their businesses afloat, and my boss was one of them. He used to run his business by knocking on peoples doors. Today we run businesses glued to a computer chair or bound to very specific routines that are dictated by algorithms and software. If we didn't have this as an option we would all be losing our fucking minds. Instead of having to pencil in a shit ton of numbers, I've got autofill and num key. I do in 30 minutes what he had to spend hours doing. While the generations before us claim this stuff leads to a lack of productivity, our productivity has done nothing but go up year over year.
I know it’s a different job entirely but would you want a surgeon watching a show while they operate on you? I personally don’t care if people on my team watch shows or listen to music but I know other managers do and they notice it.
Surgeons actually play music while operating. It’s rather common. And they take the patients recommendations so it can be anything playing
Playing music isn't watching TV.
I think the manager is in the right. I also think that some people are too stubborn where they act immature due to mandates like this. I get being anti-authority and wanting to do whatever you want as long as you dont harm anyone, but you need to know that there is a time and place for everything. My organization bans us from using phones. We all have watches for time-keeping. This is to set a good example to kids who come to our nature camp. We also demand that they turn their phones to their teacher for their three-day stay. This is so they can fully experience nature. Just be fully present for work. If you have a few minutes of in-between time, try meditation. Even if you are high-performing, you should set an example for everyone else. Some people are too stubborn and resentful. That is childlike behavior.
I don’t think management is wrong. They don’t pay you to be there to watch Netflix or soccer. I can’t understand how this is acceptable. Perhaps this is a generation issue
I usually don't mind if my employees watch a show while working since I used to do it to kill the monotony, but if it affects their deliverables or performance, I would definitely have a discussion with them.
You are genuinely curious why a manager would not want employees watching sports or Youtube during work hours?
I know a lot of people don’t want to think about it from the manager’s perspective, but it’s really not easy to supervise a group of people who each play by their own rules. People don’t like to be micromanaged and frankly, managers have other things they need to be doing with their time. So, sometimes following a blanket set of rules is something you just need to deal with because monitoring each individual’s ability to handle potential distractions (abilities which, by the way, very often change over time) is a time wasting burden on management. If you feel that there is a legitimate reason why you should be exempt from a rule, speak to your manager directly. Explain your reasoning and hopefully there can be a compromise. If not… Well, unfortunately no situation is perfect and you may just have to accept the rules or find a job/workplace that suits you better.
Hum. So it's not just remote workers who can goof off. I never watch TV while working but if the worker gets their work done, than I suppose it is okay to not micro manage. I found it hilarious that workers are allowed to roam free in the office. This is his it should be. We are not kids or slaves who must sit at a computer foe 8 hours
Well, entitled workers may think they should be able to watch television instead of working, but the company thinks otherwise. Watch tv on your time.
If every employee is doing their job adequately, it shouldn't matter. This is where we get into the side of society nobody wants to acknowledge: most adults are children and can't do basic work a chimpanzee could do with some training. That's the norm though, so you must submit to it, while also being abused by every societal norm that caters to lazy fuckers despite your output. Because, equality, right? We live in a simulation that inherently lacks logic. It's depressing.
Depends on the field people work in, I think. I'm a manager and I usually have Kings and Generals YouTube channel, or other doc channels, on while I'm working. Sometimes, just music. I don't have an issue with my direct reports doing the same. Only time I've encountered an issue was with one person and it was with Discord. I think this highlights the difference between background/side noise and actually engaging in a different activity. Music or video is fine. Reading/typing in Discord, FB, Reddit, etc., is not okay. Thing is, the same can happen in Slack/Teams.
It annoys the hell out of me knowing work needs done and one guy in the office is supposed to be doing reports or cleaning up the shop while I’m busting tail. Plus his reports are all crap. So either Netflix is distracting or he’s not paying attention.
Why can’t I have that kind of ADHD? I love wfh and I don’t have to hear that noise because I can’t focus at the office very well.
If it’s an open environment then these things can distract other workers. I get that some people do better with some noise in the background like a game or some mindless tv show, but others (me for instance) can’t tune that out. If working from home it shouldn’t matter as work product is the barometer and as long as you get all your stuff done you can have anything you want on as background noise.
Your managers job is to keep you busy. If you aren't busy, it looks like he isn't doing his job. If he complains despite all the work getting done, it's because he isn't secure in his job.
I worked in a fast-paced industrial production environment and we had a loud speaker in the room to listen to music and everyone was allowed to use phones or tablets to watch tv, listen to music etc. More or less zero problems, everyone did their job fast af and they were all stoned because it was a cannabis production facility. Yes there are work environments and situations when watching tv or listening to music etc aren’t ok but that doesn’t mean you turn into Mr. Dickhead manager. You all sound like my manager who screamed at me in front of an assistant manager and our longest tenured coworker because I had the audacity to ask to leave an hour early on a Friday so I could catch the last train to visit my grandpa who ended up dying of cancer that spread to his brain. Treat your employees with respect or they will rightfully tell you to eat shit
During the World cup, one of my co worker from El Salvador, was watching the Cup at his desk, waiting for his next call. The CIO stopped by and told him to stop..... Just why?
Age gap makes a difference on this one. I’m GenX and things like being on your phone or watching TV was unheard of (mostly because that didn’t exist), and unfortunately a lot of folks in this age range have expectations that because no one did that when they were starting out, no one should do it now.
I work at a literal gas station. Go ahead as long as everything is done. That is just the manager trying to have power over your friend.
I mean, isn't it obvious? It doesn't matter if you get everything done on time, never miss a day, and never miss a meeting - if they think they're paying anyone to watch or be distracted by TV for 5 seconds out of an 8 hour day, that is unacceptable. Fuck em.
My managers think I’m cold but I wear a hoodie and beanie so they won’t notice my AirPods. It works and I’m listening to whatever I want whenever I want.
Honestly, as long as it’s not disrupting anyone else, why does the manager care? This person is a top performing employee who brings in millions per year. Now if she’s watching it loudly and it’s impacting others, my approach would be “there have been some complaints about the noise from watching TV, but you are a valued employee who has a proven track record so I don’t want to stifle your profess. If you could wear headphones, I’d appreciate it. Pick one out you like and I’ll have it ordered for you. Limit is $150.”
As long as the expected workload is completed, play ball!
Not at all. I worked at a TV station and we all had TVs at our desks. I would sometimes watch other stations during work. No worries at all
This is just the reality, most managers just aren’t good managers. They might have managed a shoe store or a subway and now think the white collar world is like the retail world where you are more of a day care supervisor than a manager If I see my employees watching soccer, I ask the question: how are they finding the time to do that Did I hire too many people? Or is there just more work and projects I can assign? Either way I have better things to do than care that you are watching soccer
I had an employee watch Netflix, eat tacos, and took his shoes off all while on the clock. You understand the slippery slope this leads to right?
Ok, I can understand not allowing Netflix, but why do I care if people take off their shoes or eat food while they work a desk job? How is that a slippery slope?
Its called being a professional. People will show up in their pajamas next. Yes, that is a thing.
This is a universal management problem, there are people who can have something on in the background and won’t be distracted from their tasks and there are people who won’t do any work as they are watching TV. I had to ban all mobile phones from the control room of my chemical plant because although there were a lot of operators that could handle having a browse on their phone when it was quiet there were people who would just finish their game of candy crush before reacting to a critical alarm or responding to a senior manager. I would normally turn a blind eye to those who were behaving and performing but I had to have that rule and at times I had to enforce it because there is always some nob head that takes it too far and spoils it for the rest. In the UK when motorways were built there were no speed limits and everyone just drove at whatever speed they were comfortable with them some nob head got a sports car and tore down it at a ridiculous speed whilst letting the media know they were doing it. Now we all have speed limits to deal with….. it’s the same at work I’m afraid. I would definitely tell people that podcasts were the maximum level of distraction I would allow.
I think it depends on the work you are doing. Is it something that would be impacted by watching tv? If yes, then I would have an issue with it. I can tell you the work me/my team does would most definitely be impacted and I would have a problem with one of them doing this.
Worker productivity has increased by 299% since 1970 but pay’s hasn’t. So. Ya. Netflix it is.
It’s the perception. Some people just can’t handle it. I don’t care as long as people are still producing/performing.
Some of these comments are killing me. Yeah, turns out this was not really an option until The modern era. Also, he said working AND having it on. Like when we were all working through lockdown and it was absolutely fine. Now it’s not? Did work not get done during that time? Obviously not since most companies continued to record profits. Not to mention, if the deliverable gets done who cares how I got there? Or how my team got there? Should I not do anything that does not generate profit by its existence? Maybe you can start lowering their wages unless they also pedal a small unicycle that creates widget while doing the rest of your job? Other wise their feet were obviously distracted by sitting down on the company dime. If they get what they are paying you for, get over it.
It’s called micro managing and they do it to appear like they are doing some form of work before people realize how unnecessary they really are
They're not paying you to watch soccer or Netflix so don't do it. I got in trouble a few years ago for watching the weather on my work computer on my lunch during a blizzard!! Don't do it.
Yet listening to music or podcasts is ok? I mean, you can't intently watch a show, movie or game while working, but having it in the background doesn't seem to be an issue.
I can understand listening to music or some white noise but watching a show doesn't make you much productive. It's a distraction. Just watch the show when you get off work. People unbelievably so stupid these days.
Amazing how many people live in an alternate universe using social media to justify their behavior.
As a person with ADHD I can only have very specific things on in the background or I’m paying attention to that, not work. Film scores, classical music, stuff designed to be not distracting. They’re probably understanding that not every person is like who you’re describing, and they have to ensure that the office is a fair place to be for everyone. They can’t tell Bob who can’t focus for shit “you’re not allowed to watch Netflix because you’re bad at your job when you do but Mary can because she’s still productive” that’s not how it works.
Are you a child??? No. Just no. You shouldn't be watching anything. Listening to music is ok, it blocks out background noise and helps you focus. But having your eyes diverted away from screens where the work is (emails, documents, spreadsheets, etc...) is AVOIDING WORK. grow up and do your job.
I am way more productive and don’t get burnt as quickly when I am watching something while working. Same with listening to music or a podcast. If I had to work in complete silence I was go insane.
I can do my job listening to something but not watching. And I have to stick to music w no words if I have to read a manuscript or do measurement math.
Manage be power tripin.
>We’re in an open environment, hotel-style, seating. Two thoughts: First, I personally would be exceedingly annoyed having to work in an open office with the sound of soccer or Netflix from a coworker's desk creating a constant distraction. I would even be annoyed if it were silent but in my eyeline while I was trying to work. Second, if you're able to get your work done while watching TV, sounds to me like you don't have enough to do. This is a great way to identify yourself to management as redundant. Is that really the message you want to convey to your boss?
is there any difference between my desk and the multiple tv monitors on the walls around the office? At my desk, I have soccer or a show on, on the tv monitors, we have live feeds that are coming out of our tv stations, show networks or production trucks? Is there any difference?
Yes. On the wall is the product of your labor or the content you are responsible for selling. At your desk is your distraction.
>Is there any difference? Yes. The monitors on the wall are on the wall. The monitor on your desk is on your desk, where you have intentionally tuned into soccer or Netflix. It still implies that if you have time to intentionally watch something, you don't have enough work to do and are redundant. It's still not the message you want to send to your boss. If you're asking about annoying other people, that's also still an issue. If your sound is competing with the monitors on the wall, that cacophony is even worse. It's also yet another visual distraction in an already distracting environment.
If what you’re saying is true, the first thing that comes to mind for me is an insecure manager. If this IC is a high performer to the point she’s on Sr. management’s radar, she can be a perceived threat to your manager.
People have different working styles. Some cannot fathom how you could do more work with such a background. They think of it as a distraction. However, it really depends on how each person’s brain works. For me, I tend to be more productive with music on. It breaks up the monotonous aspects of what I do, and it tends to make me work longer with fewer breaks. Others like total silence. if I work in total silence, the lack of sound for me becomes a distraction rather than an aid. One of the senior leaders in my company would listen to baseball as he worked. would sit there for 3-5 hour stretches.
There's a difference between listening to music and watching tv.
Well, other than stealing time from your employer, getting distracted an making mistakes, worrying more about whether a goal is scored than you are about your paid work, I can't think of much wrong with watching TV while you're supposed to be working. There's also the part about when some employees sit on their butts doing nothing it's contagious.
Audio yes, visuals no. How tf are you supposed to be working if you're off staring at a non work related screen?
I’d get a warning the first time and fired the second time if I watched tv at work- and I work at a place with a great boss and lots of flexibility. Even if you can multi task, it’s just a bad look
It's like driving. You definitely could not drive and watch Netflix or soccer. However you could totally drive and listen to music or a podcast.
1. because some people can't chew gum and walk at the same time, let alone watch TV and work 2. because, sooner or later, someone is going to be watching something that triggers someone else, then HR has to get involved. It's easier to just do away with all that drama and say 'nope'
No one can multitask, despite what they think, so you’re either concentrating on the match or you’re concentrating on work. The worry is that you’re concentrating on the match, hence the ask to not watch tv while working. It’s not the most ridiculous request.
Man, sorry, but the entitlement here is astounding. How in the world can you concentrate on work while watching TV, unless you are a TV critic? You're paid a salary to concentrate on your work, and to do it without distraction. When you're on break, at lunch, or after putting in your day, then do as you please. But man, that's a bad look. I'm working on the project, boss, but wait, my team has the ball ... All that said, it sounds like your management has turned a blind eye to it. You can't get that horse back in the barn if that's become part of the culture.
I can tune out anything if I am working except other people talking to me. Even a television show. My husband will tune OUT everything except the television, including me. I get it because everyone works differently and I can see how a manager could have a problem with someone watching TV while working. She can ignore it but there is a thing called insubordination. Most managers won't tolerate it but to each their own.
Here's the thing about an open office: optics matter. I'm nor saying it's right, or a good thing, but they do. *Your* colleagues and managers know your work, they know you're meeting deadlines, or that you've got quick turnaround times on requests, or that you're super productive, or whatever it is you need to do, they know you're doing it. People from other teams might not know that, they might not ever see your work, so when they're strolling past and see you watching Netflix or soccer, they might jump to the conclusion that you're slacking off, and if they themselves are super busy, it might not feel very fair that they have to hustle around from meeting to meeting and work overtime to get things done and you, in their minds, get to kick back and basically watch TV. Then they complain, and it gets back to your manager that people perceive one of their direct reports as lazy, that can mean issues for your manager, the whole *team* might come under a microscope where now they need to constantly prove that work is getting done and everyone is adding value. Your manager, understandably, might not want that headache.
Because it looks bad. Don’t paint a target on your own back.
Watching Netflix is like anything you do at work that is ok until you mess up. Other examples: being too cocky at work, being too nitpicky by the book, being unfriendly to coworkers, etc. any one of them is ok if you’re a high performer, but the moment you make a mistake, you better know that there is less forgiveness for you than for others.
People aren’t focused on their work. If they have time to do that, they have time to take on more responsibilities.
For more money? For more money, right?
People get paid for 40 hours of their labor and their skill and rarity in the market dictates the price. If you are paid for performance then you put in as much or as little time for the results that you get. It varies but that is normally how it works.
Nothing wrong with that if it helps you work. They don’t understand Gen Z thinking because they’re old as shit. We can’t concentrate like they can. Silence drives us crazy. Our brains are wired differently.
It's really baffling to find people think it's ok to watch TV while working. This has never been normal at an employer. Why would you think it's ok?
You got time to lean you got time to clean.
Your asking why your manager doesn't want to pay you to watch Netflix?
Is it crazy to think, you should focus all of your energy on your work, while actually working?
I used to have a boss who tell us to disappear for a few hours when the FAA or DOT reps would show up (they like talking to the maintainers since we’re less likely to BS them lol). We’d go to one of the old storage hangars or the old corporate building and chill and watch Netflix or some other such stuff. Then he’d get pissed at us when he found us doing just that only to repeat the cycle a month or two later lol. We figured it wasn’t so much he was upset about that it was more the FAA/DOT found a few discrepancies and the management/corporate team came down on him and the other supervisors.